Cylinder-control mechanism



Dec. 29, 1925. 1,567,360

E. F. DUDLEY ET AL CYLINDER CONTROL MECHANISM Filed March 2 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E. F. DUDLEY ET AL CYLINDER CONTROL MECHANISM Filed March 25, '1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec, 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD F. DUDLEY, 01 OAK PARK. AND BURT D. STEVENS, OF EVANSTON, ILLI- NOIS, ASSIGNORS TO MIEHLE PRINTING PRESS & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

' CYLINDER-CONTROL MECHANISM.

Application filed March 25, 1922. Serial No. 546,566.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD F. DUDLEY and BURT D. STEVENS, citizens of the United States, residing respectively, at Oak Park, 5 in the county of Cook and State of IlllDOlS, and at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cylinder-Control Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to printing presses and-more particularly to cylinder control mechanism thereof. 7

While this invention is not limited to a vertical type of printing press, it is disclosed in connection 'with such a prmtlng press in which the type bed the cylinder reciprocatevertically in opposite directlons in ;a manner such that when the cylinder 20 moves upwardly carrying a sheet of material and the type bed moves downwardly, the cylinder is locked to its driving mechanism and-caused to rotate for causing the sheet of material carried thereby to receive an 25 impression.- However, when the movements 1 are reversed, that is, when the cylinder is moved downwardly and the type bed upwa'rdly,the cylinder is unlocked from its driving mechanism so that said-cyllnder does not rotate in its downward movement. While thecylinder normally rotates as it moves upwardly for giving'a sheet carried thereby an impression, it is desirable not only to prevent said cylinder from rotatlng during an upward movement if a sheet of material has not been fed to the cylinder or is not in proper register with respect thereto, but also it is desirable for the cylinder to be connected to its driving mechanism and disconnected therefrom at different and requirements for eration.

These and other objects are accomplished by means of the arrangement disclosed on the accomanying sheets of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a printing press embodying our invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of part of the cylinder control mechanism shown at an angle of 90 degrees from that shown in Fi ure 1;

Figure 3 1s an elevational view of the printing press cylinder embodying the invention;

Figure 4 is a sectional viewtaken in the plane of line 4-4 of Figure 3;

/ Figure 5 is a fragmentary end elevation of the same cylinder;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the cylinder showing the grippers, suction openings in the gripper bar and a sheet of maizerial being fed to the cylinder grippers; an

Figure 7 is a detail view showing a pawl and ratchet whereby the cylinder may be connected to its driving mechanism for rotating the cylinder, and ratchet and pawl mechanism operably associated with the other ratchet and pawl mechanism for holding the cylinder against rotation.

The various novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the figures of the drawings, it will be noted that the invention is illustrated in connection with a vertical type of printingpress including a main frame 11 upon which is mounted the way-frame 12 in which the type bed and the cylinder frame 13 are vertically slidably mounted for simultaneous reciprocation in opposite directions, a cylinder 14 being rotatably mounted in the cylinder frame 13.

This invention has to do primarily with cylinder control mechanism. In th1s connection it is desired to connect a cylinder with its driving mechanism at the lower limit of vertical reci rocatory movement of the cylinder and to isconnect said cylinder from its driving means at the upper limit of its vertical reciprocatory movement. Not only this, but it is desired to provide locking successful commercial opmeans which become efiective at the upperlimit of vertical movement of the cylinder so that the cylinder in moving downwardly will be held against rotation, and it is desired that this holding or locking means be come-ineffective at the lower limit of Vertical movement of the cylinder. As a matter of fact, the means for forming the driving connection between the cylinder and its driving means and the cylinder looking or holding means are operable upon and control each other in a manner to be more fully described gripper and interposed between the inner hereinafter.

To give a full description of the various cooperative parts of the cylinder control mechanism, it will be noted that the cylin-. der 14 is provided with a gripper bar 15 in which the grippers 16 are slidably mounted,- each gripper normally beingheldclosed by a spring 17 coiled around the shank of each part of the gripper bar and a pin 18 in the shank of the gripper. The cylinder grippers 16 ar opened by means of mechanism including fingers 19 mounted upon a rod 20 carried in the walls of the cylinder, one end of sad rod '20 extending through one of the cylinder walls and having mounted thereon a lever 21 carrying a roller 22 which cooperates with two cams 23 and 24, the

cam 23 beinglocatl-id at the upper part of the type bed so that when the roller 22 rides upon said cam 23 the grippers 16 are opened to release an impressed sheet of material preparatory to the latter being carried away from the cylinder by delivery grippers, not shown. lhe cam 24 is located at the lower limit of movement of the cylinder and has two cam portions 25 and 26. The upper cam portion 25 opens the grippersnear theend of the downward movement of the cylinder for the purpose of receiving a sheet of paper fed to the cylinder, and the lower cam portion 26 of'the cam 24 permits the roller 22 to ride downwardly thereon for permitting the grippers to close upon the sheet of material fed to the cylinder. At first it would appear that the roller 22 in the next upward movement of the cylinder would engage the lower cam 26, causing the grippers again to open and release the sheet of paper before it received an impression. However, such occurrence is avoided by reason of the fact that the cylinder rotates in a manner for carrying the roller 22 away from the cam 26v during the upper vertical impression menace movements with the cylinder by meshing with a rack 28 carried by the type bed. Secured to or formed integrally with the gear 27 is a ratchet wheel 29 having a single slot 30 which is adapted to receive the hooked end 31 of a pawl 32 mounted upon a shaft 33 carried by the cylinder. This shaft has surrounding it a coiled spring 34, one end of which is anchored to a wall of thecylinder and. the other end of which is anchored to a collar 35 secured to the shaft in a manner such that the pawl is yieldably held against the ratchet wheel 29 and as a result thereof, at any time that the slot 30 is presented to the hooked portion 31 of the pawl 32, such pawl enters such slot for locking the cylinder to its driving mechanism for rotating said cylinder. l

Attention is called to the fact that the slot 30 is provided with a straight driving wall 36 which is adapted to engage a correspondingfrontwall 37 of the pawl 32 for positively driving the cylinder in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figures 4 and 7 The other wall 38 of the slot 30 is inclined, as is alsothe corresponding Wall 39 of the pawl 32 whereby the pawl may be forced out of the slot 30 of the ratchet wheel 29 when the cylinder has reached its upper, limit of Inovementpreparatory to the cylinder movin vertically downwardly without rotating. owever, the inclination of the walls 38 and 39 of the slot 30 and pawl 32, respectively, is sutlic'iently abru pt to prevent the cylinder runningaway from the gear during their rotative movements.

Let it be assumed that the cylinder is at its lower limit of vertical movement, and

that conditions are proper. for the cylinder to be connected toits' driving mechanism. Such being the case, reference being had. to

Figures 4 and 7, the ratchet wheel 29 driven bv the gear 27 will have been rotated in a direction to a point where the slot'30'has presented itself to the hooked portion 31 of the pawl 32. Such being the case, the head 31 of the pawl snaps into the slot 30 whereupon the cylinder which is operatively conneoted to the pawl 32"is driven in acounterclockwise direction during its upward verti-v As mentioned lhcremabove,

cal movement. it is desirable that the cylinder be disconnected from its rotary driving means at the upper limit of movement of the cylinder preparatory to. moving. vertically downwardly without, rotating. T0 this end, at the upper limitof vertlcal movement of the cylinder, a dog 40/ carried in one end ofa pawl 41 drops into a slot 42 in adisk 43 secured to. the projecting'end of a cylinder trunnion 44. :The pawl 41 is pivoted at the point 45 intermediate its ends and has'its other end pivotally connected at 46 .to a spring pressed rod 47, the efi'ect being to yieldably press the dog 40 against the disk menace 43 whereby the dog 40 will enter the slot 42 whenever the two come into register. The

slot 42 and the dog 40 are so arranged with- 'ingly, the dog 40 clicks into the slot 42 for I. causing the pawl 32 to move out of theslot as the cylinder is given its downward movement and also to hold such cylinder against rotation during the entire downward-- movement. 0

Referring to Figures 4 and 7 it will be appreciated that with the dog 40 in the slot 42, with the cylinder starting on its downward movement, and the ratchet wheel 29 accordingly rotating in a clockwise direction, the pawl 32 will be forced out of the slot 30 against the tension of spring 34 in view of the fact that the cooperating Walls 38 and 39 of the notch 30 and pawl 32, respectively, are inclined. The ratchet wheel 29 in its downwardmovement, as well as in its upward movement, makes one complete revolution, so that when the cylinder reaches its lower limit of movement or dead center, the notch 30 inthe ratchet wheel 29 has again presented itself to the hooked head 31 of thepawl 32-and as a result thereof,if conditions are proper-for the cylinder to be connected to its driving mechanism, in a manner to'be described later, the pawl will click into the slot 30 preparatory to the next upper and rotary movement of the cylinder. As the cylinder has moved downwardly the dog 40 has remained in the notch 42 for hold- ,ing the cylinder againstrotation. However,

when the' cylinder has reached its lower limit of movement and thepawl 32 has been connected with the ratchet wheel 29 for ro- ,.ating the cylinder on the next upward moveine'nt, it is desirable to move the dog out of the slot 42. Such is accomplished when the ratchet wheel'29 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figures 4 and 7, and when the pawl 32 is in th slot 30, be-

' cause the disk 43, which isthen rotating in the direction with the cylinder, exerts a lifting pressure upon the dog'40'and the dog end of the pawl 41. Referring specifically to Figure 7 it will be noted that when the disk 43 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction the radial straight side wall 48 exerts a pressure upon the dog 40 in a line at right angles to the plane of the wall 48, which line at right angles falls to vtheright of the pivotal center 45 of the pawl, such resulting in lifting the dog 40 out of the notch 42 in the disk 43 for permitting the cylinder to rotate unhampered-as a. result of its connection with its driving mechanism. When the cylinder has reached its upper limit of movement the notch 42 will have gone through an angle of 360 degrees and will have presented itself to the dog 40 which will again click into the notch, whereupon when the cylinder then moves downwardly the pawl 32 will be moved out of the notch 30 for breaking the connection between the cylinder and its driving means.

In connection with the control mechanism for the cylinder, attention is called to'the I the other arm 56 of the bell crank lever bemg connected to a rod 57 in turn operatively connected to a diaphragm 58 of a casing 59 forming part of a fluid pressure system. The interior of said casing beyond the diaphragm 58 is connected to a source of vacuum through a tube '60, said casing 59 also having extended therefrom a plurality of tubes 61 and 62 which are operatively connected'with two series 63 and 64 of suction openings extending through the gripper bar 15. At the time that the cylinder is at its lower limit of movement preparatory to receiving a sheet of material, the suction chamberis in comunication or is cut into communication with the diaphragm chamber 59 so that suction is exerted downwardly through the two series 63 and 64 of openchamber 59 will have no e ect upon the diaphragm and accordingly, will not transmit any movement to the bell crank lever arm 53 and accordingly the pawl 32 will be held or locked out of operative relationship with respect to the ratchet wheel 29. Accordingly, if no sheet of paper is fed to'the cylinder, or if the sheet of paper fed to the cylinder does not cover the openings 63 and 64, the cylinder will not become locked to its rotative or driving mechanism. As a result, the cylinder on its next upward movement and under the conditions stated, will not rot-ate. On the other hand, if the'suction openings 63 and 64 in the gripper bar are closed by a sheet of material 65 which is fed to the cylinder and registered. with respect thereto, it is apparent that the diaphragm 58 will be moved into the chamber 59, drawing the pawl 52 away from the disk 50, thereby releasing the pawl 32 to permit it to pass into the slot 30 in the disk 29 when they come into register with each other, thereby resulting in the cylinder 14 being rotated by its driving mechanism during the next upward movement of the cylinder. The series of openings 63 and 64 are arranged in a straight line and the forwardmost points lie in line of front register drawn between the points of front register. In other words, the openings 63 and 64 are advanced as far forward If the openings 63 and 64 are ting mechanlsm 1s connected to the cylinder and starts to rotate it upon the upward ClllVlllg means,

86. As mentioned above,

movement of the cylinder, the cylinder holding means is forced out of its holding position; and, that when the cylinder reaches its upper limit of movement the cylinder operating mechanism is disconnected frdm the'cylinder by the cylinder holding or looking mechanism, which holds the cylinder against rotation upon its next downward movement.

With respect to the operation (if the press from its mam actuated drive shaft 75, a

gear 76 is secured thereto which meshes with and drives a gear 77 secured'to another shaft 78 carrying two spaced cranks 7 9, ionly one being shown. To each crank 7 9 is pivotally secured. a crank rod 80 which at its upper end is pivotally connected at 81 to a gui ed vertically movably mounted member 82 having two spaced racks 83, only one ofwhich is shown. Each rack 83 meshes with and rotates a bodily fixed suitably supported gear 84, which in turn meshes with and drives an associated rack 85. The racks 85, there beingtwo of them, are formed integrally with or secured to the type bed the type bed. 86 also carries a rack 28 (see Figs. 2 and 3) for driving the cylinder 14 through the gear 27. Y i

It is 'oarintention to cover all modifications of the invention falling within, the

spirit and scope of the "following claims.

We claim: 1. a'printing-press, the combination of a cylinder, means for rotating same, means for connecting said cylinder and its rotary and means for holding said cylinder against rotation and disconnecting said cylinder fromits rotary driving means, said connecting means and holding means being operable on each other to make same efiective and ineffective.

2.In a printing press, the combination j of 'a cylinder, means for driving same,

means for connecting said driving means and means for holding 'said cylinder against a given movement and disconnecting said cylinder from its driving means, said connecting means and holding means being operable on each other to make same efiective and ineifective.

3. In a printing press, the combination of a cylinder mounted for rotary movement and reciprocatory movement, means for rotating said cylinders means for connecting said cylinder and its rotary. driving means cylinder and. its

at one ofits' limits of reciproeatory movement, andmeans for holding said cylinder against rotation and disconnecting said cylinder from its rotary driving means at the other limit of reciprocatory movement of said cylinder, said connecting means and holding means being operable on each other to make s.1me efl'ective and ineffective.

4. In a printing press, the combination of a cylinder, means for rotating said cylinder, means for connecting said cylinder and its rotary driving means at a given point in the cycle of operation, and means for holding said cylinder against rotation and disconnecting said cylinder from its rotary driving means at another point in the cycle of operation, said connecting means and holding means to make-same eifective and ineffective v 5. In a printing press, the combination of a cylinder, means for reciprocating sa1d cylinder in a vertical direction, means for rotating said cylinder, means for connecting said cylinder and its rotary driving means at the lower limit of movement of said cylinder, and means for holding said cylinder against .rotation and disconnecting it from its rotary driving means at the upper limit of movement, said connecting means and, holding'means being operable on each other tomake same effective and ineifective.

6. In a printing press, the combination of a cylinder, means for rotating same, a

/ releasable connection between said cylinder and rotating' means,and means for holding said cylinder a ainst rotation, said holding means as a result of its holding action beingbeing operable on each other adapted to control said releasable connecand rotating means, and means for holding said cylinder againstrotation, said releasable connectlon being adapted tOCOIliZI'Ol SMtl holdlng means.

8. In a prlnting press, the combination of a cylinder, means for rotating same, a releasable connection between said cylinder and rotating means, and means for holding said cylinder against rotation, saidholding means and said releasable connection adapted to control each other.

9. In a printing press, a cylinder, means for rotating same, a re le-asable connection means between said cylinder and its rotating means, and means for holding said cylinder against rotation,

the combination of said holding means by action of said releas-=jable connection means being rendered inef-v fective when said releasable connection connects said cylinder and its rotating means, and said releasable connection being operated to prevent driving of said cylinder when said holding means becomes effective.

' relative to said cylinder.

10. In a printing press, the combination of a vertica reciprocatory'cylinder means for rotating said cylinder, a releasable connection between sald cylinder and its rotating means, and means for holding said cylinder against rotation, said cylinder holding means becoming ineffective and the releasable connection becoming efiective at the lower limit of movement of the cylinder and said cylinder holding means becoming efi'ective at the upper limit of movement of said ,cylinder', said holding means and driving connection having a controlling action one on the other.

11. In a printing press, the combination.

.der, means for holding said cylinder against rotation, and means whereby the rotative movement of said cylinder depends upon the proper registration of a sheet of material 12. Ina rinting press, the combination of a cylin er, means for actuating said cylinder, means for holding said cylinder against actuation, and means whereby the actuation of said cylinder depends upon the proper registration of a sheet of material relative to said cylinder.

13. In a printing ress, the combination ora cylinder, means or rotating said cylinder, means for holding said cylinder against rotation, and control means carried by said cylinder operative in accordance with proper registration conditions of a sheet of material with respect to said cylinder for controlling the rotative movement of the latter.

14. In a printing press, the combination of a .cylinder, driving means therefor including a ratchet member anda pawl, means for holding said cylinder against rotation, and means for controlling the driving connection between such ratchet and pawl dependent upon proper registration of a sheet of material with respect to said cylinder.

15. In a rinting press, the combination of a cylin er having a gripper bar and grippers, driving means for said cylinder, means for holding said cylinder against a given movement, and means for controlling the driving relationship between said driving means and cylinder dependent upon the proper registration of a sheet of material between said gripper bars and grippers.

16. In a printing press, the combination of a cylinder, means for rotating same, a releasable connection for connecting said cylinder and its rotary driving means, means for holding said cylinder against rotation and disconnecting said cylinder from its rotary driving means, and means dependent upon proper registration conditions of a sheet with respect to the cylinder for controlling said releasable connection.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 2nd day of 'March, 1922.

EDWARD F. DUDLEY. BURT D. STEVENS. 

